With the new Disney film The Jungle Book opening this weekend, there’s an overall sense of excitement and nostalgia in the air.
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Having been certified “fresh” at 95 percent, it beat films like Disney’s “Cinderella”, which in 2015 accumulated a score of 84 percent and “Maleficent”, which scored 49 percent in 2014.
Jon Favreau’s new version of The Jungle Book has added layers of complexity and breathtaking special effects.
For those familiar with THE JUNGLE BOOK, via the animated 1967 Disney version, any of the other multiple film adaptations, the original Rudyard Kipling books, or some combination thereof, there is something indelible about the story.
The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli (Neel Sethi) a human boy raised by the wolves Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) ever since he was a baby and brought to them by Bagheera (Ben Kingsley), the black panther.
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Favreau said Sethi, who was nine years old when filming, was selected out of 2,000 children for his “confidence and charisma”. Ahead of its release this week, The Jungle Book already holds an incredibly impressive stand with critics, with a 100% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 79% on Metacritic. He’s crafted a beautifully cinematic film, with exciting action scenes – and, it should be noted some circle-of-life stuff that young animal lovers might find upsetting – and wonderful animation but the stars of the show are the characters. Did Bill Murray live up to your expectations as Baloo?As an evil tiger, Shere Khan, moves in and decides to hunt Mowgli, he must leave and learn to survive in the jungle. Once separated from Bagheera, he first encounters the hypnotic python Kaa (voiced by Scarlett Johansson) before being rescued by and befriending Baloo (voiced by Bill Murray), the lackadaisical bear. “The Jungle Book” seamlessly blends live-action with photorealistic CGI animals and environments, using up-to-the-minute technology and storytelling techniques to immerse audiences in an enchanting and lush world. Watching Mowgli interact with the creatures throughout the film made you want to be a part of it.
